Michigan Memorial Montage

Here's to two years of great people and great memories!

1181. 42nd Street. Air hockey. Angelos. Ann Arbor. The Arb. A-squared. Afternoon Delight. Auditions. Bacon Fest. Baptisms. Ben & Jerry's. Big House. Bingo. Blimpie Burger. Braces. Breastfeeding. Brian Regan. BWW. Car. Celtic Tenors. Chicago. Chocolate fountain. Christmas tree. Cider Mill. Coaching class. Costco. COLD. CPK. Culinary Expeditions. Detroit Day Trip. Diet Coke. DMA. Donuts. Earrings. Enrichment Dinner Groups. Eugene Onegin. Fall. Family Bidniz. Farmer's market. Flights. Friday night-in. Football. Friends. Garage karaoke. German tutor. Go Blue! Graduation. Green. GSNO. Hair. Hill Street. Hippie Hash. Hoedown. Homework. Hommus. Hot chocolate. Houston Grand Opera. Ice Cream Social. Ice Sculptures. Illness. Institute. Israel. Italy. Katz. Kerrytown. Knitting. Kroger. LA. Laptop. Lessons. Lindsey. Locker. London. Man lunch. MASTERS. Mexican Town. Michigan Stadium. Mingles. Missionaries. Mocktail. Moore School of Music. New York Philharmonic. No Thai. Northside Grill. Nouveau New Years. NYC. Office parties. Opera. Parents. Party girl. Pathetic Trio. Pedicures. Pi Day. Ping Pong. Planner. Pontiac Trail Party House. Post cards. Practice. Public Transportation. Recitals. Recordings. Rock Band. Roommate Date Night. Rug. Russian. Settlers of Catan. Severed arm. Sidetracks. Silas. Singers. Soirée. Somerset. Sondra. Song Class. Stucchi's. Sweater Party. Sweetwaters. Thanksgiving turkeys. Toledo Zoo. Trees. UMS. Undergrads. UPS. Visitors. Wapakoneta. Weddings. Wolverines. Yoga. Yo-Yo Ma. Ypsi Lanes. Zingermann's.


Feel free to lengthen the list with your memory contributions!

GOOD-BYE MICHIGAN!

Monday's Man

My younger sister was kind enough to share this list of inspirational thoughts with me yesterday, in the spirit of the Sabbath. May they fill your heart with the same peace, joy, love, and fear that I experienced.



1. If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.

2. Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.

3. Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.

4. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

5. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the info he wants.

6. There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

7. Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.

8. Chuck Norris doesn't sleep. He waits.

9. Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

10. Chuck Norris counted to infinity-twice.

11. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. Just another fist.

12. Chuck Norris doesn't wear a watch. HE decides what time it is.

13. Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

14. Contrary to popular belief, America is NOT a democracy. It's a Chucktatorship.

15. Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer. Too bad he's never cried.

16. When Chuck Norris looks in the mirror it breaks, because it's smart enough to know not to get in the middle of Chuck Norris and Chuck Norris.

17. Chuck Norris has already been to Mars. That's why there's no sign of life.

18. Who would win the race between iron man and superman to the moon?..................Chuck Norris.

19. Superman wears Chuck Norris underwear.

For more Chuck Norris facts, you can visit "Everything you always wanted to know about Chuck Norris: but were too afraid of roundhouse kicks to ask."

SO over Orthodontia

Many of us experienced the beauty and wonder of braces during our youth. The constant food stuck in your teeth...aching...automatic decrease in age...who doesn't want to relive those amazing times from their teens?!

Me? I say bring those times back baby! Why wouldn't a nearing-25-year-old want to feel more youthful? Aside from the fact that I got lectured about sitting in an emergency row airplane seat only a week ago...It is happening though. Apparently Ortho #1 made some mistakes, causing gums to begin a continuous receding process, amongst other minor issues. So round two seems to be in order.

9 am tomorrow. SICK.

Graduation!

May 1st, 2009: GRADUATION!!! For as long as I can remember, I've planned on getting a masters degree, with a doctorate following shortly thereafter. Who wouldn't want to spend as much time in school as possible?! I assumed that checking off the second degree would feel a bit like the first---nice to have completed, but really just another small step down the long career path with miles to go before I sleep/eat/live, etc. However, it felt AMAZING!!! None of that small step business...and I was really glad I decided to participate in the ceremony itself.

I dragged my roommate Kara along and she was quite the supportive family member/roommate/friend. I owe all of the following footage to her skill, save the photograph in which she is pictured. I'm sure she could have taken even that under pressure though...

One of the undergraduate singers I coach received an award, so we got to perform! Nothing like rockin' a little Puccini...in COMPLETE DARKNESS!!! Please look at my music---not to be confused with the black hole that is the music stand. At dress rehearsal we had a bit of a discussion regarding lighting, and I was assured all would be well. Aside from the bit where I couldn't tell what I was supposed to be playing, it really was fabulous. Who wouldn't want to improv Puccini for a crowd of music school students though? Seriously. :)

My university cares. With the high number of swine flu reports rampant in Michigan, we were provided/forced to be hand-sanitized before AND after receiving our diplomas. We were also told we needn't shake hands. Which is of course the option I chose. I couldn't risk the plague...so I curtsied. Alright, not really. BUT there were people at the larger university commencement who felt it was appropriate to fist-bump the president of the university. Classy. And all in the name of health I'm sure!

Kara and I went out for a graduation dinner celebration afterward, and found that we had graduation groupies. Or just some friends out for a bite before seeing a movie. I prefer to think the former. While this may have been an accidental occurrence, it was the one that most made my evening. They did a brilliant job of playing my family: Dan (pictured on the far right) decided that we should go around the table and have everyone say what they liked about me. Once I finally finished, they didn't have much time before the restaurant closed, but they really made the time they had count. Seriously, though, this will be one of my favorite Michigan moments. It was so wonderful to be with friends and to hear them sincerely share how/why they valued you. It felt like family---the word I would probably use to describe what the Hill Street ward has been to me. I'm truly grateful for the friendships I've gained in MI. It was also a nice reminder of the power of positivity. I left that night wanting to be a better person, so I could try and be the girl that warranted their kind comments. Someday. Maybe after a doctorate...


So...from Kindergarten...

to AF High...

USU...

And the University of Michigan!!!

With a DMA yet to come...at an undetermined time. Here's to a break from school and "real-life" experience in the opera world!